Sangbae Kim

Professor Sangbae Kim is the Jerry McAfee (1940) Professor in Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), School of Engineering, Department of Mechanical Engineering. His research focuses on bio-inspired robotics, extracting principles from animal biomechanics to develop high-performance robotic systems.

• Education: B.S. from Yonsei University (2001), M.S. (2004) and Ph.D. (2008) from Stanford University.
• Research Interests: Bio-inspired Robotics, Robotic Actuators, Locomotion Dynamics, Composite Sensor Fabrication, and Minimally Invasive Surgical Robotics.

His notable achievements include the MIT Cheetah robot capable of 13mph outdoor running and autonomous obstacle jumping, and Stickybot, a climbing robot featured in TIME's Best Inventions (2006). Recent publications emphasize soft robotics, energy-efficient legged locomotion, and bio-inspired actuator design. Kim has received prestigious awards including the NSF CAREER Award (2014), DARPA Young Faculty Award (2013), and Ruth and Joel Spira Award for Distinguished Teaching (2015).

• Scientific Awards: NSF CAREER (2014), DARPA YFA (2013), TIME Best Invention (2006), multiple best paper awards.
• Professional Service: Associate Editor roles, NSF review panels, and leadership in IEEE and ASME organizations.